An 8-by-17-foot mural of sabot sailboats now covers an exterior wall at Via Lido Plaza, the work of Ellen Gladis, a Newport Beach artist for more than 40 years.

The piece, titled "The Sabot Regatta," sits near the back of Via Lido Drugs off Balboa Boulevard and Finley Avenue. For Gladis, the commission is a homecoming: her original "Sabot Regatta" painting hung inside the Pavilions grocery store at the same plaza for 16 years.

"Via Lido Plaza owner Fritz Duda hired me to do a mural inspired from the original murals that I did 30 years ago for the inside of Pavilions market when it had been in the plaza," Gladis told the Daily Pilot.

The mural has already stirred memories among plaza tenants. Michele McCormack, owner of Love Letters boutique, said the painting reminds her of her junior sailing program days at Balboa Yacht Club every time she walks into work. Duda said his daughter Lindsey found her sail number, 9491, in the original Pavilions mural when she was 8 or 9 years old. People have been stopping to photograph themselves in front of the new work, according to Duda.

That Pavilions project dates to 1995, when Duda, then a Vons Co. board member, persuaded the grocery chain to skip its standard color palette and let Gladis paint 12 canvas murals depicting Newport Beach history and landmarks. Each measured 8 by 15 feet. They stayed up until the store closed in 2011.

For the new exterior work, Gladis used 50 different colors of acrylic paint plus white and three shades of blue in flat exterior paint formulated to handle coastal salt air. The textured plaster walls had to be smooth-coated entirely before she could begin.

Duda has enlisted Swift Slip Dock & Pier Builders to construct a faux boat dock with railing in front of the mural to protect it. The dock will use PVC decking and timber frame to replicate a traditional Newport-style dock, topped with brass sea otters. Pete Swift, whose firm has been in business for 44 years, said the dock will look traditional but use all new materials.

Gladis also painted the auditorium walls of the Lido Theater at 3459 Via Lido with underwater scenes featuring fish that glow in the dark when the house lights dim.

Residents can view "The Sabot Regatta" at Via Lido Plaza near Via Lido Drugs, off Balboa Boulevard and Finley Avenue. Prints are available through Gladis's website at ellenkgladis.com.

Upcoming community events in Newport Beach

  • Saturday, July 11: Witte Hall Grand Opening, Open House & Family Summer Celebration, 2–4 p.m., Newport Beach Public Library. Author event with surf legend Shaun Tomson at 7 p.m. Free.
  • Sunday, July 12: 90th Annual Flight of Newport Beach regatta, 1 p.m. near the Balboa Pavilion. Free registration.
  • Thursday, July 16: Corona del Mar 3rd Thursday "Endless Summer" celebration, 5–8 p.m. along Pacific Coast Highway.
  • Sunday, July 19: Summer Concert Series featuring Redneck Rodeo, 6–7:30 p.m., Civic Center Green (100 Civic Center Drive). Free admission and parking.
  • Sunday, August 9 – Saturday, August 15: Newport Beach Art Week, culminating in the 59th Annual Newport Beach Art Exhibition at the Civic Center.